The Lambertville record., 1887-07-06

stlIullOIS Oh bDe country was the e4trdNuBtIib
development of State sovereignty notions
Although the Revolutionary War had gained
for the colonies collective Independence,
the assumption was made that they
were as independent of one another as OF
Great Britain This idea was earnestly COM
batted by Washington, Madison, and gem
orally by all the statesmen whose careers had
been associated with the Federal govern
ment. ut is only in our united character"
said Washington, that we are known as an
empire, that our independence is acknowl-
edged" 1.-THE States,n Madison told
the convention, 'never possessed the
essential rights of sovereignty" The
effort of the national party was to secure
the adoption of constitution establishing a
national government possessing self-sustain-
ing powers, and their plan was presented by
the Virginia delegation, Governor Randolph
of that State being the spokesman. 1t pro-
vided for two houses of Congress, represen-
tation in both of which was to be appor-
TONED according to population, or else the
amount of taxes paid to the government,
and for chief executive to be elected by
Congress for term of seven years. The
great conflict was over the question of rep
resentation. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, the two Carolinas and Georgia
favored the Virginia plan. Connecticut,
New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland in
sisted that each State should have the same
New Hampshire and Rhode Island were not
represented. At that time the dominant
party in New York was strongly State SOW
ereignty Hamilton and Morris, who were
statesmen of national views, were constantly
antagonized by their colleagues, Yates and
Lansing. The matter was at last sent 20 a
committee Of eleven, who, with much diff
Guilty, finally reached a compromise by CIV
ing each State equal representation in the
Senate, and basing the representation in the
House upon population. This decision was
reached July 4, and reported to the conven-
ton the next day.
The great rock of difficulty thus sur
mounted, the remainder of the work was
not quite so hard. The method of electing
the President was not the subject of much
contention. Only one State was in favor of
election by the people; all the delegates
voted at first in favor of an election by con-
gress. The scheme of a selection by col
lege of electors was the result of subsequent
deliberations, and in one of his Federalist
papers Hamilton remarks that this provi-
sion of the constitution met with gem
eral approval. 1t is just that provision
which has turned out a complete failure.
The election of the President by the
people was established by popular senti-
ment, and the action of the college of
electors was soon reduced to a mere
formality. When the constitution was
finally completed a number of the delegates
refused to sign it, and its adoption did not
seem likely. Local politicians were gem
orally against it; commercial interests, how
ever, felt the need of a strong government
that could give protection to American yes
sells and industries. Great trades professions
were gotten up in favor of the New Roof, as
it was called, and the industrial classes gave
the national statesmen the support that en-
abled them to win the day. The constitu-
ton was no achievement of speculative sa-